The EPL Just Became the Most Stylish Soccer League in the World

Soccer manager Pep Guardiola is in high demand. After overseeing one of the most successful periods in Bayern Munich's history, the 45-year-old Spaniard announced last year he'd be stepping down from the club when his contract expires at the end of this season. Guardiola has a staggering record. He played 239 league games as a manager and only lost 19 of them. He’s like the European Bill Belichick, except without the sleeveless hoodies and history of being utterly detestable. With that, there has been much speculation about where he'd end up next, and today Manchester City—one of England's top clubs, but a team that has struggled to inspire in recent seasons—announced that it had secured him for a three-year contract once current manager Manuel Pellegrini steps down in June.

This is a big deal for English soccer, and not just because Guardiola is such an accomplished manager. There is no other way to say this without sounding like I'm fawning, so I'm just going to come out and say it: Pep Guardiola is a fucking style god. Really. I challenge you to find anyone in the world of soccer who wears clothes with his level of effortless cool. Heck, I challenge you to find anyone in sports who does it better than him. He really might be one of the best-dressed sports personalities in the world.

Let's face it: The average English soccer player isn't particularly well-dressed. Yes, there are outliers, but for every David Beckham there are legions of adolescent young men with too much on their minds to care about their wardrobes, and they dress accordingly—I'm looking at you, Jamie Vardy. This is no longer the case, however, thanks to Guardiola. They say a rising tide raises all ships, and I posit that Guardiola is a tidal wave of such epic style proportions that the EPL is now the most stylish soccer league in the world just by association.

Look at the evidence:

HE CANNOT LOOK BAD IN A SUIT

On the sideline, Guardiola is known for wearing perfectly cut slim suits. (Sometimes too slim). Here's a great example from Bayern Munich's game against VfL Wolfsburg this summer. No one has ever been able to find out where Guardiola gets his suits from, so if you're reading this, Pep, please get in touch.

Bongarts/Getty Images

HE IS NOT AFRAID OF A POP OF COLOR

While the shirt-and-tie-under-a-bright-red-V-neck ensemble is a staple of European football managers (i.e., Arsène Wenger, former Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood), Guardiola puts them all to shame.

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Bongarts/Getty Images

HE HAS A RARE KNACK FOR OUTERWEAR

The "big-ass scarf" is a risky style move—just ask Lenny Kravitz—but Guardiola routinely pulls it off with ease, and without looking like he's just been shot with a shrink ray.

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IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE SUIT

Yeah, yeah, I hear you, anyone can look good in the right suit. What's so special about that? Well, if I were to pinpoint the one thing that sets Guardiola apart from his contemporaries, it'd be how good he looks when he's not wearing a suit. Here he is in 2015 in a pair of trademark slim pants, white sneakers, and vintage-esque T-shirt.

Getty Images for FC Bayern

HE CAN EVEN MAKE LEDERHOSEN LOOK COOL

I mean, if you have to wear lederhosen and a Trachten jacket because you manage a popular German soccer team and your job requires it, this is the way to do it.

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